Into The Hive Mind: BBC's 'Sherlock' And The Adventures Of The Fandom That Waited | Neon Tommy Into The Hive Mind: BBC's 'Sherlock' And The Adventures Of The Fandom That Waited March 12, 2013 | 4:26 p.m. PDT PDT story Columnist Look how serious they are. This is a serious show with serious fans and a serious fandom. There is no fun allowed. None at all. (Tumblr) (Yes, please ignore the reference to "Doctor Who" above. I find it rather applicable to us, so…that's what I'm going with.) (Also, beware of spoilers. This column will operate under the presumption that readers already seen both series.) When I first heard that a couple "Doctor Who" writers had banded together to create a modern version of "Sherlock Holmes" for the BBC, I was warily excited. On the one hand, I love both "Doctor Who" and "Sherlock Holmes", so naturally, taking some of the talent from the former and applying it to the latter sounded like a good idea. But on the other hand, I was skeptical of the present-day adaptation.

Previous adaptations may have placed Holmes and Watson in the 1940s fighting Nazis, but that time seems alien—Holmes always a figure of the past, and to place him in the present seemed, at first, unnatural. Then again, I do enjoy a version of the Baker Street boys in which they are crime-solving mice, so a modern adaptation doesn't seem all that far-fetched in retrospect. My hesitance was unwarranted. I was blown away with the first series with each of the three 90-minute episodes. With the quality of the first series, the 18-month hiatus between series one and series two seemed a necessary punishment for the excellence the series produced. Even if it required us to agonize over the resolution to the series one cliffhanger all that time, making the show's return in Jan. 2012 all the better. With over two years since the first episode aired (and only six episodes in total), this fandom has had plenty of time to draw, write, analyze, make gifs of everything and cultivate a creative culture that rivals nearly every fandom that comes to mind, even those that have more material to work with or have been active for many more years.

Subject: BBC's "Sherlock" Years before its premiere, Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss, "Doctor Who" alums and long-time "Holmes" fans, had discussed a modern version of the Conan Doyle stories on train journeys to Cardiff, where "Doctor Who" production is located. After Moffat's 2007 modern adaptation of "Jekyll", based off the "Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde", it seemed natural that they would tackle one of their favorite series for the screen. With the addition of Steve Thompson in Sept. 2008, they originally had planned to have six 60-minute episodes, but after the original pilot was rejected by the BBC, they retooled the series for three 90-minute episodes per series. The original, unaired pilot is available on the DVD of the first series, which was aired in late July and early August of 2010 in the UK, and on PBS in America in October of the same year. The second series, also three episodes, was broadcast in the UK in Jan. 2012 and on PBS in May 2012.

In order to update the stories to modern times, the BBC's Sherlock Holmes (played by Benedict Cumberbatch, then well-known for his performance in "Atonement") and John Watson (Martin Freeman from the original version of "The Office") use cell phones, Internet and laptops and maintain blogs (Watson is Holmes' blogger, not his Boswell…although considering the speed at which Martin Freeman types, it seems remarkable to me that Watson updates his blog ever.) Like his canonical counterpart, Watson is a veteran of the war in Afghanistan, invalided home after being shot in the shoulder, although he retains a psychosomatic limp for part of the first episode, a reference to canon Watson's mysteriously migrating bullet wound, one that is either located in his leg or his shoulder, depending on the story read. The two still live in 221B Baker Street as tenants under the lovingly maternal eye of Mrs. Hudson (Una Stubbs), who is their landlady, not their housekeeper, thank you very much. They are joined by "V For Vendetta's" Rupert Graves as D.I.

(Greg) Lestrade, whose characterization in this adaptation is based off that of "The Six Napoleons", as Inspector Lestrade tends to be a bit inconsistent throughout the canon. In the show, the beleaguered and rather desperate detective inspector seems admiring and fond of the consulting detective, even if he's also irritated as all hell by him. Sherlock's older brother Mycroft (whose character has been expanded, making up for the decrease in his waistline) is played by Gatiss and presented as somewhat omnipotent, cold and rather distant—as well as being invaluable to the British government in some unknown capacity that allows him total control over the CCTV system, bespoke suits and an ubiquitous and characteristic umbrella (and an unlimited supply of sleek black town cars). Andrew Scott as Jim Moriarty, who looks frightening and dapper in his bespoke suit. (Well-tailored suits are my main weakness.) (Tumblr) With the series focusing on the development of the relationship between Sherlock and John (with the added bonus of adapted canon cases and the London skyline), Sherlock goes from a "high-functioning sociopath" to someone rather more human by the finale of the second series, where he [spoiler] apparently jumps off the roof of St.

Bartholomew's Hospital to save John, Mrs. Hudson and D.I. Lestrade, whose lives are threatened by Jim Moriarty, whose character differs rather spectacularly than that presented in the stories. Moriarty, in a BAFTA-award winning performance by Andrew Scott, is theatrical, unpredictable and frighteningly and totally insane, rather than the posh, composed and reserved professor of the stories and most other adaptations. The series is rife with small nods to canon, even outside of the overall adaptations of the cases, such as shooting the wall of Baker Street not with "V.R." for Victoria Regina, but with a smiley face; this Holmes has nicotine patches instead of a pipe, searches for his cigarettes in a Persian slipper (in which canon Holmes had kept his tobacco in the stories)—being such (lucky) ascended fanboys, Moffat and Gatiss are very good about including canon tidbits for fans to find. That being said, the episodes aren't exact adaptations of the original stories.

The first episode, "A Study in Pink", based off "A Study in Scarlet", the first novel, changed its plot significantly because, if you've read "A Study in Scarlet", you'll know that the second half of the story is all about Mormons and it's probably a bit offensive to stereotype an entire religious sect. A bit not okay in modern society. Even though there are only six 90-minute episodes in total, the series is set to return…eventually, hopefully in late 2013, as filming begins March 18, after which, presumably, we will be psychologically tortured as set photos and production stills are released online and we are left to suffer alone. Or, if you prefer, suffer together with the fandom. Fandom name: Sherlockians (Also a typical title for fans of the canon, and although this name is not exclusive to fans of the BBC series, it is the one preferred by fans of this adaptation) The fandom itself is one of the three that comprise the Holy Trinity on Tumblr, as I refer to it, the SuperWhoLock fandom—"Supernatural" from the CW, and the BBC's "Doctor Who" and "Sherlock".

The fandom tends to have a lot of crossover from the three and is one of the most active and visible presences, both online and in the…real world. The most common reasons I hear for fans developing interest in "Sherlock" is because they were first "Doctor Who" fans and it seemed a natural progression, because they saw so much material online that they were drawn in, or that they were canon fans first and wanted to see what this adaptation had to offer. That being said, the second series had higher ratings than the first, over eight million viewers in the UK alone, per episode. Better yet, on March 12, Benedict Cumberbatch revealed that both he and Freeman are signed for a fourth series of the show. So after waiting what will likely be over two years between series two and series three, we can presumably have another cliffhanger and wait at least another 70 years between series three and series four. It's okay. We'll wait. I managed to convert nearly all of my friends after the first series, because I got the DVDs and forced them to watch. I think we watched all three episodes in one night and we have no regrets.

I also managed to irritate many of my high school newspaper staff into watching by talking incessantly about "Sherlock Holmes" and the recent adaptation. I am very good at persuading, one way or another. Word of mouth has been rather effective in spreading the subject and fandom, leading to the vastness and diversity that it has today. Organized by the Baker Street Babes, this group of Believe in Sherlock campaigners collected in front of the 221B stand-in, a flat located at 187 Gower Street. (Tumblr) Truly, this is one of the most widespread fandoms I've seen—I've heard of fans of almost every age (except very young, this is not a children's version, let me tell you—it is not campy and fun like "The Great Mouse Detective" or even occasionally child-friendly like Gatiss and Moffat's "Doctor Who".

I would give it at least a PG-13 rating at the youngest, but it's up to parental discretion) (Actually, who am I kidding, "Doctor Who" is not a children's show; it can be, frankly, terrifying.) There are fans all over the world, in every age group, with varying levels of knowledge about Holmes canon and all of them are united with a love of the show. In addition, sales of the canon stories have risen almost 150%, according to the Guardian, largely due to the show's popularity. Fandom activity: Basically everything. Fan-made media and work, activism, cosplay, creating a world-wide campaign, attending conventions, theorize with SCIENCE, analyze and weep - mostly Some of you may have heard of the "Believe in Sherlock" campaign that exploded after the final episode of the second series, "The Reichenbach Fall".

One of the most insane fan-made schemes I've ever seen (and I mean insane in a way that means crazy awesome), this campaign is one in which fans make flyers, posters, occasionally deface public property (which I cannot condone because it's illegal, even if it is kind of cool) with the words "Believe in Sherlock", or some variation thereof. The plot of "Reichenbach" has Sherlock Holmes' reputation tarnished by a vicious media campaign orchestrated by Moriarty, leading to his apparent suicide. Other variations include "Jim Moriarty Was Real" and "Richard Brook Was a Fake", but, of course, there's also a fan-made counter-campaign, "Richard Brook Was Real", and it's rather amusing to watch the campaigns faux-fight online. Actually, the time for speculation and theorizing has passed. Mark Gatiss confirmed that this is how Sherlock survived the fall. We can all go home now. Our work is done. (Tumblr) Typical to "Sherlock Holmes" fantasies, this version, too, has taken a rather scholarly approach to its subject, especially with "The Reichenbach Fall". Because it was confirmed that Sherlock survived his "fall" off Bart's roof, what remains now is the "how".

So, using science and math and physics, fans have created complex theories that, I'm sure, rival whatever Moffat and Gatiss have planned for the big reveal. Crack theories, though, are my personal favorite. Assuming that portals, cats, an invisible parachute, magic, the TARDIS and a jacket full of bees were not used, I think that it's highly probable that some of these theories are getting pretty close. Fun fact: I made friends with one of my professors when, during his office hours, he suddenly asked me if I watched the show. When I responded, he desperately asked me if I knew "how he did it", to which I simply smiled and started outlining all the theories I had memorized at the time. (I think he probably got a bit more than he bargained for, to be honest.) I've made so many friends since coming to college through mutual fandoms, "Sherlock" and "Doctor Who" being the two main ones. There always seems to be someone out there who can freak out a bit with me when news comes out, or understand just how tragic fandom life can be. As for creative fanwork, this is one of the most prolific fandoms I've seen.

I suppose people need something to carry them through the long hiatuses. Fic writers and readers are well-respected, some of them achieving high status in the fandom, and some of the works are novel-length, breaking 200,000 words. For reference, this column is just under 5,000 words long. On Archive of Our Own, "Sherlock Holmes & Related Works" as well as "Sherlock (TV)" are two of the most popular tags; fanart is equally popular and there are some extremely talented artists in the fandom. And funny, many of them with snarky and irreverent humor. I'll include links to some of the artists and Tumblrs of people who were suggested to me in the "resources" section below. I also see some truly excellent cosplays, particularly wingsunfurled’s Sherlock. The Australian-based group Viclockians is notable for having some very good cosplayers in their midst, and can be found on Tumblr here . One thing I have noticed about the “Sherlock” fandom is that it seems especially generous—not to say other fandoms aren’t, but the amount of money donated on actors’ or the show’s behalf is astounding.

Not only are charities benefited, but with the help of Sherlockians and word of mouth (as well as Mark Gatiss) the “Save Undershaw” project was successful. Fan activism can also benefit individuals—if a fan is in need of help, a plea to his or her fandom is generally recognized and passed around. Fans will purchase art from other fans to support business, and will fight for proper sourcing and credit to be given to artists, creating a system that requires proper recognition where recognition is due. No fandom is perfect, though. Refer to this earlier column about fandom rules , some of which I will reiterate here. Remember that even if you don't read or produce fics or art, you have no right to disparage those who do. You are not better in any way than any other fan—if you have read the canon, it doesn't make you "more" of a fan than those who haven't. All it takes to be a fan is to enjoy the work. Also, you should know that this tends to be a very slash-happy fandom, but you don't have a right to bash on other ships (or lack thereof).

Also, as I mentioned in the previous article, stop with the "Elementary" bashing—or of any other fandom, really. Same goes for other fandoms on the "Sherlock" fandom. It's fine to poke fun good-naturedly, but recognize that fandom is supposed to be a safe place, an equalizer, and a refuge for those seeking solace from the outside world with others with mutual interests. So no bashing. No hate. And if someone does happen to break the rules, getting mad is just hurtful—reminding someone politely and gently is far more productive than shouting abuse at someone. Besides, if that person is being genuinely awful, you're still the better person for remaining level-headed, giving you the upper hand. Any discussion of this day has been tabooed under my decree. I do not want to talk about this picture. Granted, I get starstruck rather easily, so if I were to ever meet a celebrity, I would probably just cry. (via cleopetre at Tumblr. Go bother him, like he bothers me.) (Tumblr) A few notes specific to the "Sherlock" fandom, though: recall that the actors are not the characters and vice versa.

Being polite and respectful shows you're genuinely appreciative of the work they do, rather than overwhelming them. Also, certain acts are taboo—spreading certain videos, posting pictures of the children of castmembers online or sharing them. Generally not okay, especially when we've been asked specifically not to do so. Fandoms are protective of each other and the subject they enjoy. It's best to respect the wishes of others, because we want to represent that we are, overall, a positive community of people. And the one last thing I do want to mention: even if you're a slasher, be respectful of the rights (or lack thereof) of real, non-fictional people. Recognize that supporting fictional, noncanonical ships does not make you a supporter of gay rights, and by equating the rights of characters to the rights of people who have had to work and suffer diminishes the struggles that happen in the real world. So no. When gay marriage rightfully becomes legalized, don't bring up your ships. Recognize the achievement for those who have had to work for it, not for people who do not exist. And again, respect that some people do not agree with your ships and that's fine.

Diversity of a variety of subjects, whether it is homeland, race, orientation, viewpoint, age and more, is one of the best parts about fandom, especially the "Sherlock" fandom. So enjoy yourself. But don't make it unenjoyable for others. And don't take it more seriously than it needs to be. That being said, when I found out that members of the Trojan Marching Band met Benedict Cumberbatch (???) at a Vanity Fair photoshoot (???), I laid down on the floor for about 45 minutes, unmoving and totally silent. No one is allowed to talk about this anymore. Good people to know: Writers, producers and directors, Arwel Wyn Jones, David Arnold and Michael Price, castmembers, Amanda Abbington, the Baker Street Babes While Moffat and Gatiss co-created, they both also have written two episodes each, with the other two written by Stephen Thompson (“Damages”).

Moffat wrote “A Study in Pink” and “A Scandal in Belgravia”; Gatiss wrote “The Great Game” and “The Hounds of Baskerville” and Thompson wrote “The Blind Banker” and “The Reichenbach Fall”—and note parallels between “The Reichenbach Fall” and “A Study in Pink”, as well as several tie-ins to “The Blind Banker”. So when you curse Moffat’s name for “Reichenbach”, remember it’s actually Thompson who has hurt you so. You should know the names of the producers, as well, as it seems “Sherlock” is a family business. Mother and daughter producers Beryl and Sue Vertue work with Sue’s husband Steven Moffat on the show, and had previously worked as a unit for the comedy “Coupling”, which is based in part off Sue and Steven’s relationship. Also, the directors! The show has been nominated for four separate awards for its direction, including an Emmy, and has won three times. The directors are Toby Haynes, Paul McGuigan and Euros Lyn, as well as Coky Giederoyc (“The Hour”, “Spies of Warsaw”), who directed the unaired pilot.

However, it has been revealed that McGuigan will not be returning for series three, and Jeremy Lovering (“In Fear”, a major 2013 Sundance breakout film) will be directing the first episode of the third series. David Arnold and Michael Price are the composers for the series, and, like their predecessors in “Sherlock Holmes” composers, should be noted for just how great the music is. The compositions and theme for the show are Emmy-nominated in both the 2011 and 2012 Emmy Awards. Also, if you’ve seen Sherlockians passing around photos of empty rooms, that’s because of production designer Arwel Wyn Jones, who is systematically torturing us by Tweeting photos of the “Sherlock” set as it is built. He’s the guy who makes 221B look like it does. Be appreciative of him, even if it’s not nice to tease us like this—I’m not exactly complaining. As for the cast, it includes regulars Benedict Cumberbatch in the titular role, a performance for which he’s been nominated for a slew of awards, including the BAFTA Best Actor, Emmy and Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Miniseries or Movie, among others.

He plays opposite Martin Freeman (both are also in “The Hobbit” series, with Freeman as the Hobbit although Cumberbatch will be “appearing” more in the second film, as he’s the voice of Smaug the Dragon and the Necromancer.) Freeman plays a very solid counterpoint to manic and hyper-intelligent Sherlock, and grounds him (of course, the sarcasm and comedy Freeman brings helps, even if, for the moment, he plays the character straight and serious). As mentioned above, Scott is the wild and unhinged and very Irish Moriarty; Gatiss is the “iceman” Mycroft Holmes; Stubbs is the adoring and doting not-housekeeper Mrs Hudson and Graves is D.I. Lestrade, who always seems to have problems in one way or another, whether it’s from criminals, bombers, his wife or Sherlock Holmes. There are individual appearances in episodes by Phil Davis (who plays a Jeff, or at least, that’s his name, if you’ve read the stories…), Paul Chequer as D.I. Dimmock, Bertie Carval as Sebastian Wilkes, Gemma Chan as Soo Lin Yao (“The Blind Banker”), Zoe Telford (Dr.

Sarah Sawyer, John’s love interest in the first series), Lara Pulver (Irene Adler in “A Scandal in Belgravia”), Russell Tovey (“The Hounds of Baskerville” as Henry Knight, playing another character obsessed with canines, although, in this case, he’s not a werewolf, unfortunately) and Katherine Parkinson as journalist Kitty Riley (“The Reichenbach Fall”), who is much beloved by the “Richard Brook Was Real” campaigners. I'm not sure who wouldn't be jealous of Loo Brealey, to be honest. (Tumblr) Louise Brealey plays hapless morgue attendant Molly Hooper, who harbors an unrequited crush on Sherlock for most of series one and two. Not only is Brealey’s Twitter phenomenal, but her character is, perhaps, one of the most relatable characters in the series, and her performance in “The Reichenbach Fall” is equal parts saddening and adorable. Not to mention that dress in “A Scandal in Belgravia”.

Molly is one of my favorite characters, especially considering the development from the lovelorn and completely subservient young woman shown in her first appearance to playing an important role and shooting down Sherlock Holmes in “Reichenbach”. I’m just…I’m just a fan. (In truth, I’m a little jealous of Loo Brealey.) Other series regulars include Vinette Robinson as Detective Sergeant Sally Donovan and Jonathan Aris as Anderson, the forensics expert who has a tendency to muck up the crime scenes, according to Sherlock. Both Donavan and Anderson harbor animosity towards Sherlock, who hurls that animosity right back in their faces. While Anderson is nearly universally hated, Sally does have some fans, especially in fics, where she’s regularly given redeeming features and her character and backstory is sometimes built upon, according to one of my sources, a writer who wishes to remain anonymous. Also, you should know who Amanda Abbington is. Much beloved by fans (and lovingly referred to as “the queen” of the fandom, a title she absolutely deserves), she’s Martin Freeman’s equally sassy partner who seems very, very, somewhat suspiciously aware of fandom goings-on.

Although she is no longer on Twitter, the fandom (at least, on Tumblr, as far as I know) is very appreciative her, even going so far as to create blogs dedicated solely to how awesome she is. She has given several interviews to the Baker Street Babes (BSBs), a small collection of some of the wittiest women I’ve ever heard, online or otherwise. The BSBs run a podcast, appear at conventions and different events—plus, they talk about canon and Sherlockiania quite often, are all young and female and I just want to follow them everywhere and shower glitter and love and flowers onto them, because they do all this for free like I do, and spend time working on this because they genuinely love the fandom, and have done something rather impressive with a so-called “hobby”. They also have a Tumblr, a Twitter and a complete collection of their podcasts can be found on iTunes or listened to online. Need some help? These sites are here to help: First, you should check out the official character blogs of Sherlock Holmes , Dr. John Watson and Molly Hooper , although spoilers abound.

These are updated in tandem as episodes are released, so always be sure to check them out to see the corresponding posts after an episode. Sherlockology is the leading aggregator of information on BBC “Sherlock”, but there’s also the Baker Street Wikia and the TV Tropes page . Check out the Baker Street Babes’ site here, which also has links to their Tumblrs, Twitter and Facebook pages, among others. Some Tumblrs you might want to check out include finalproblem , which has a complete index of theories as well as some very in-depth analysis and bizarre humor trends, such as the magic traffic cone from “The Reichenbach Fall” and the disco pigeon from “The Blind Banker”. The Tumblr for bbcsherlockftw also does similar analysis. Also, soon to be available in the United States, the offical "Sherlock" companion, "The Casebook", provides basically anything you could ever have wanted from the creators, except, maybe, more of the actual show itself.

Geothebio , reapersun , sexlock , coeykuhn , thebritishteapot , ireallyshouldbedrawing , ilovemyjawn , mystradedoodles , artbylexie , inchells , scrickiras , ineffableboyfriends , navydream , ask-bbcsherlock have done quite a bit of “Sherlock” art, many of them comics or cartoons that are simply hilarious, although not all of those are necessarily solely “Sherlock” blogs (some are, although some have other fandom or adaptation art). Keep an eye out because there may be some NSFW material on the blogs. If that’s not your thing, be wary and make sure you click the SFW button on Tumblr. Also, for a variety of Sherlock Holmes art, for “Sherlock” or “Elementary”, or, mainly for canon, check out ghostbees . Mark Gatiss , Lara Pulver , Loo Brealey and Arwel Wyn Jones have Twitter accounts. Oh, so does the Sherlock Set Floor . Naturally. Also, check out areyoutryingtodeduceme’s art and her fandom tea blends . Here in the “Sherlock” fandom, we make art you can drink.

And we’re finally for memes, jokes, trivia and a various and sundry collection of bizarreness: Because of this comic by Kate Beaton, there is a running joke that Watson’s first and main love is jam. This has been extended to Martin Freeman, who is made of kittens (I guess because he seems cute and cuddly?), rage (because he is wrath embodied) and jam. Cue relentless references to John’s love of jam amongst the fandom. Moriarty's barrister in "The Reichenbach Fall" is played by Ian Hallard, Mark Gatiss' husband. The lover of Sir Jeffrey Patterson in "A Study in Pink" is Olivia Poulet, Benedict Cumberbatch's then-girlfriend. Also, keep an eye out for "Doctor Who" actors on "Sherlock", including Phil Davis, Gemma Chan, Paul Chequer, and, of course, Gatiss. Matt Smith auditioned for the role of Doctor Watson, but was turned down—he later was cast in Moffat's other production, "Doctor Who", as the Eleventh Doctor.

Moffat has said he didn't think anyone else besides Cumberbatch would be right for the role, but it was harder to find a proper Watson to match; Martin Freeman's audition helped seal the deal, because the chemistry between the two actors was perfect. (I think the fandom would agree.) Anderson. Oh, Anderson. First, because he’s nearly universally reviled by the fandom, he’s the common butt of jokes both in the series and online. Then there’s the Anderson/dinosaur meme, which, from a fairly unsavory Livejournal prompt has since spawned comics galore about Anderson’s deep and hidden love of dinosaurs. Also, Anderson is so far nameless, although there have been suggestions that his name is Sylvia , Moira or Gillian . redscharlach) If you’re ever asked to “tell us about Rupert Graves,” you should always respond that he is good at football and has five children.

In “The Reichenbach Fall”, when Donovan tells Lestrade that there’s been a break-in, he responds rather casually whilst eating a pastry that it’s “ not our division ”, leading to an outbreak of memes that involve Lestrade being asked to do something and responding with the phrase, or translating the phrase into other languages and badly photoshopping cultural dress or items onto the still. This includes fictional languages and dead languages. “Animals that look like ‘Sherlock’ actors” is one of the more common memes, particularly “ Otters that look like Benedict Cumberbatch ” by redscharlach and “Martin Freeman or a hedgehog?”, which has its own Tumblr. I’ve also seen variations that include silver and/or fennec foxes that look like Rupert Graves, owls that look like Mark Gatiss and lizards that look like Andrew Scott, which is valid, because Moriarty is described as somewhat reptilian in the stories. It’s fairly popular in fanart to depict one or more of the actors as their designated animal. Another popular one is that Benedict Cumberbatch looks like a hammerhead shark (possibly originating from this post), leading to shark!lock.

Check out barachiki's photoshop madness, which is a source of crack in abundance, and reiterations of different memes, especially those founded by finalproblem . (By the way, finalproblem does Canon Fodder Friday, which goes into canon stories, and is definitely worth taking a look at.) The inanimate objects that appear and reappear throughout the series have gained quite a bit of fan followings, even so far as getting crack!ships. Sherlock’s long, black Belstaff coat, John’s ubiquitous (some say ugly, I say comfortable) jumpers, John’s cane from the first episode, Mycroft’s umbrella, the skull on the mantelpiece (called “Billy”, according to the Casebook, but others prefer different names, including Yorick and Victor) are just a few. The riding crop from the first episode comes back sometimes too, as do Sherlock and John’s mugs. AU!Lock is a common fanfiction and fanart trope, wherein writers and artists recreate “Sherlock” with some differing defining characteristic.

Some of the most recent ones I’ve seen are Faun/Fawn!lock, Animal!lock (or insert animal of choice), Smaug!lock, Greaser!lock, Potter!lock (“Harry Potter” AU, not crossovers, which don’t typically have the exclamation point). Usually, with the suffix “!lock”, it applies to either the BBC universe or the character, and if the AU only applies to a character other than Sherlock, then the “!lock” suffix is switched with some other name. For example, “Papa!strade” is a popular tag for paternal or family Lestrade; “Bat!John” is a (pretty damn cute) recent AU with an anthropomorphized bat. Popular crossovers are Wholock, Potterlock, Avengelock, Treklock, and Superlock, or the big winner, Superwholock.

A note, though: even with the more unusual AUs, there are people who are working very hard to create art (whatever the form), and should not be insulted by calling it “crazy” or “insane” or the authors “in need of series three”—if it’s not presented as crack, it shouldn’t be treated like that. Even crack art is created with the intention of art, no matter the level of humor, and should be respected. Also, be sure to source and give credit to artists. To do so is a gross violation of common decency, and to present art without source (especially to present it as your own) or to remove watermarks is considered plagiarism and is not accepted by the fandom at large. This is literally a show where fans will ship anyone with anyone. I’ve seen more ships than I can count.

The most popular are slash ships, and are generally portmanteau names—John/Sherlock (Johnlock), Mycroft/Lestrade (Mystrade) and Moriarty/Moran (MorMor) are the most popular, with Johnlock far exceeding all others; in the latter two, the two characters in the ship have never once appeared onscreen together, especially considering the character of Colonel Sebastian Moran does not yet exist in the BBC ‘verse (we think). The "Sherlock" fandom has an armada. Yes. Everything is a ship. If anyone was curious about series three, you should check out this Tumblr , which is really the only blog you’ll need. That’s by no means the end of the fandom. There are depths that I don’t even know about, and items that I just didn’t have time or space to cover. But at the risk of cutting the article short (because 5,000 words is very short, I know), know that there’s plenty you can find on your own. To be honest, watching the series and interacting, even in the most minimal manner, with the fans will introduce you to a lot of the concepts, even the ones that I didn’t cover.

And people have different senses of humor, too, so the memes and jokes that they include may be different from my own suggestions. As for this series of columns, this is the last of the three “Sherlock Holmes”-related columns for Into the Hive Mind. Next week, I will be taking a very brief hiatus for spring break, but I will be returning week after with the first of two columns on “Doctor Who”, in honor of the midseason return. In the meantime, if you're busy anxiously awaiting series three, I suggest you theorize, read or draw, or perhaps, if you're interested, check out "Cabin Pressure", "Game of Thrones" (which returns the day after "Doctor Who") "Supernatural", as these fandoms are also on the roster for the next few weeks. Columnist Christine Bancroft can be reached here or found on Twitter here . According to her friends, if she were a “Sherlock” character, she’d be Moriarty because she looks cute and cuddly until she taps into her excessively wrathful inner rage.

Occam's Razor » Sherlock Holmes Tagged with: Movies , Sherlock Holmes Mad Max: Fury Road Believe it or not, I’m new to the Mad Max franchise. Post-apocalyptic Earth movies are not exactly my favorite genre, although with rapid climate change they are looking more plausible. Mad Max movies are almost as old as Star Wars movies. The first one was released in 1979. All of them have director George Miller in common, although in the 1985 film Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, Miller had George Ogilvie as a co-director. Thirty years between films is a long time, long enough that you have to be pretty old to have seen the earlier movies. In Mad Max: Fury Road we get something of a reboot. Mel Gibson, mostly an unknown before the first movie made him a star, showed up in the next two, but in this version Miller wisely decided that Gibson was just way too old, so he cast Tom Hardy as Max Rockatansky instead. When you settle into your chair, you had best buckle your seatbelt tightly.

With so many action adventure movies made and on the market, it would be hard to pick the wildest of them all, but Mad Max: Fury Road would certainly compete well for the top of this heap. There is hardly a moment of calm in the whole frenetic movie. Shot in the Australian desert like I believe all of the previous films were, poor abused Max is one of many simply trying to survive. It’s unclear why he wants to survive, given the horror of this world, its lack of water, and the penchant of its citizens for war and bashing each other’s heads in. Max is so busy surviving that he doesn’t have time to tell anyone his name, particularly not Imperitor Furiosa (Charlize Theron), a trusted confidant and commander of Immortan Joe (Hugh Keays-Byrne). Joe controls something of a dessert oasis where he sporadically releases deluges of water from his citadel for his dehydrated slaves. He also sends out war parties for his periodic battles. Sending out Imperitor Furiosa turns out to be a mistake as she is on a mission of escape to find the green land that she grew up in.

Worse, she escapes with Joe’s prized and beautifully nubile five wives. Max comes along for the ride involuntarily because he is being tapped for his blood. Max manages to escape and joins Furiosa, while Immortan Joe follows in hot pursuit. That’s pretty much the plot and while it’s not much of a plot it sure is entertaining as all get out. George Miller certainly knows how to direct action movies, and this one is definitely a tour de force of grit, gumption, violence, chaos and survival skills, all coherently packaged somehow in all its appalling horror. Most of us would prefer death to the lives that these people live, but not to worry, most will encounter death along the way. Part of the film noir of his franchise is this civilization’s ability to cannibalize auto parts from an older industrial age and create impressive and scary behemoths of belching automotive wonder, complete with a crazy guitar player on the lead vehicle channeling Black Sabbath as these battle groups move forward. It sure is weird and it sure is cool somehow. In short, it’s a pretty compelling post-apocalyptic world, very well refined, but hard to turn away from.

You won’t want to walk out of the theater during this movie, except possibly in horror or terror. Miller has lost none of his dubious gifts for this genre that he sort of invented. Having not seen the earlier movies, I can’t believe they are better. I think he has peaked and proven he is and probably always will be the master of this peculiar genre. 3.4 points on my 4-point scale. Rating: Tagged with: BBC , BBC America , Benedict Cumberbatch , Jeremy Brett , Sherlock Holmes , Television Perhaps Sherlock Holmes was part vampire. It seems that no matter what Sir Arthur Conan Doyle did to get rid of him, the public demanded more Sherlock Holmes. So, following a tradition that would be repeated in movies and TV shows too numerous to mention, Sir Arthur was forced to reincarnate him, or at least explain why his certain death at Reichenbach Falls was not quite what it appeared. He had to keep inventing more stories of his famous detective to pay the bills and satisfy his fans, even though he was bored to tears with his character. Even turning him into an opium addict would not cool his readers’ ardor for Holmes. Sir Arthur eventually met his maker but Holmes proved immortal.

Sherlock Holmes books never go out of print. Most of his stories have been made into TV shows; many have been reprised in plays. There is probably no more frequently recurring character in the movies. Most fans would agree that no actor did a more memorable job of portraying Holmes than the late Jeremy Brett , who along with Edward Hardwicke (who sadly died last month ) as his sidekick Dr. Watson acted in various BBC Sherlock Holmes series produced between 1984 and 1994. Real aficionados require a complete set of DVDs to enjoy over and over again. No, you can’t kill Sherlock Holmes, just like you can’t seem to kill a vampire or Star Trek . You can’t kill their reincarnations either. Still, it’s getting harder and more expensive to do period Sherlock Holmes movies. Recreating a late 19th century London is expensive. So perhaps with the death of Edward Hardwicke the timing was right to reimagine Sherlock Holmes cast in modern times instead of the 19th century. Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes That’s the premise behind Sherlock , a slim Sherlock Holmes series from the BBC now on its second season which is, in a word, terrific.

Its limited availability here across the pond is probably inhibiting more widespread knowledge, as is its very limited “season” (three episodes each in 2010 and 2011). An actor with a name every bit as peculiar as Sherlock Holmes, Benedict Cumberbatch , gets to create a modern day Sherlock Holmes at the same address of 221B Baker Street, with the same side kick Dr. Watson and the same landlady Mrs. Hudson (Una Stubbs). It’s just that it all takes place about a hundred or so years later. This reincarnation and modernization of Sherlock Holmes is strangely and unusually compelling and is in many ways better than the series featuring Jeremy Brett. Freed from its 19th century constraints, and a fifty-something version of Holmes (Cumberbatch is 34) we get a much more fun and in many ways more interesting interpretation of Sherlock Holmes. And strangely, it all works so very well. Lord of the Rings fans quickly forgave Peter Jackson for casting Frodo with an actor thirty years younger than the character in the books.

You will quickly forgive creators Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss for casting Cumberbatch as a younger version of Holmes, putting him in the modern day, and for removing his pipe (although he does wear three nicotine patches to get a similar high). Still, I do see similarities with the last BBC series. Cumberbatch’s interpretation of Holmes is about thirty percent Jeremy Brett. There are times when watching him act that you see a younger Jeremy Brett. Like Brett’s interpretation of Holmes, this is not a detective who can stay for long in a stuffed chair. He is like a panther, constantly in motion, his mind always racing ahead of the rest of us. And he is completely comfortable with technology, with his smartphone ready at hand. All the characters you have come to know and love are generally around, including his gifted brother Mycroft (who shows up in the first episode) and even the evil Moriarity (who shows up early, in episode three), but also Inspector LeStrade (Rupert Graves). Mrs. Hudson is a whole lot more fun than the dowdy lady who is usually portrayed as well. Perhaps the most welcome change in this recasting is with Dr.

Watson, now a fully fleshed out human being played by Martin Freeman . This Dr. Watson is a war veteran too, but of the Afghan war, and navigates through London’s infamous fogs in a mental fog of his own. He’s not quite the starry-eyed intellectual lightweight that Sir Arthur portrays him, but a guy with issues whose life almost through happenstance gets wrapped around Sherlock Holmes. Holmes brings him some measure of the crazy excitement he found in Afghanistan. Nonetheless, this is principally a series about Sherlock Holmes and fans should not be the least bit disappointed by Cumberbatch’s portrayal of the detective. It is every bit as good as Jeremy Brett’s but still distinctive and in many ways much more fun. Holmes’s sexual identity was always suspect. Cumberbatch portrays a Holmes more asexual than sexual; it’s just way down on his list of priorities. Besides, it seems there is no woman out there who can begin to keep up with him. When he is on a case minor matters like eating and sleeping simply recede. If you have cable TV, there is a good chance you have BBC America as well. If so, check its schedule carefully so you can sample the series.

Or throw caution to the wind and order its slim set of DVDs . Even if they can only produce less than a handful of new episodes per season, you will find them worth the wait. Sherlock transcends mere television. Whatever this reincarnation is, it is really, really good. If you are a Sherlock Holmes fan, you’ll kick yourself if you don’t drag yourself out of Edwardian England and enjoy this contemporary version.

Question: In the BBC's 2011 reincarnation of Sherlock Holmes, who plays housekeeper Mrs Hudson?
Answer: Una Stubbs